1. Area of the Art
The present invention concerns the field of cosmetic treatments for hair loss.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although most of the human body is relatively hairless, at least compared to most other mammals, the human head is endowed with a more or less luxuriant growth of hair. Over the ages this hair has been the source of endless trials and tribulations. How many teenagers of either sex have spent endless hours adjusting the exact look of their hair? Pity the poor individual whose coiffure is not up to current group standards. This fascination with hair extends beyond ones teenage years and is usually lifelong. But a luxuriant growth of hair is not guaranteed. Hair is damaged or lost as a result of accident, illness, age and even cosmetic treatments. As humans age the quality as well as the quantity of their head hair tends to change. The number of hairs usually decreases in both sexes but often much more rapidly in those of the male persuasion. Color and texture also undergo changes.
Loss of hair and changes in hair quality have spawned a multi-billions dollar industry that seeks to restore an individual's hair to its youthful status. This preoccupation may seem inevitable in today's youth oriented culture, but “cures” for age-related changes in hair seem to be as old as mankind. Ancient civilizations used wigs, hair coloring agents and hats—remedies that are still in widespread use today. Any study of herbal medicine or “magic” potions will uncover a plethora of mixtures that were guaranteed to grow hair on the baldest of pates.
An inspection of the database of issued patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office reveals hundreds of inventions aimed at overcoming or ameliorating hair loss. The majority of inventions are directed towards medical treatments employing an incredible range of drugs—all promising to grow hair. Another large group of inventions is directed towards improvements in wigs and toupees and related devices intended to minimize the appearance of hair loss. Yet drug-based treatments are often ineffective, slow or fraught with undesirable or even dangerous side effects. Wigs and toupees or “hair pieces” are often costly, cumbersome and “overkill” as a treatment for regions of thinning hair as opposed to overall complete hair loss.
Techniques involving “mini” wigs designed to cover small regions only or methods that weave or otherwise attach strands of hair into thinning areas have been developed to overcome the inherent problems of wigs. However, such techniques are often expensive and require services of a third party for their fabrication and application. Therefore, simpler “cosmetic” approaches have been developed that allow an individual to readily minimize the appearance of overall hair thinning and localized hair loss.
The simplest cosmetic approach involves treating the areas of thinning hair with a coloring composition that minimizes the appearance of a bald region by coloring the scalp to match the hair. Such a treatment will minimize the appearance of a thinning region, but it can be difficult to apply such a coloring agent along a thinning hair line with convincing results. Furthermore, this approach is less effective for white or gray hair as the coloration of the scalp does little to blend in the thinning spot. In addition, this cosmetic approach does little to increase the apparent thickness of the hair.
Perhaps the most satisfactory cosmetic approach to date is the application of short colored fibers and/or powder and particles, known as Hair Building Solids (HBS) to the scalp areas in need of treatment. As used herein HBS includes any type of fibers, powder and/or particles used to enhance the appearance of hair thickness and to disguise the appearance of hair thinness. Ideally, the HBS is colored to match the natural hair color of the user and exhibit properties such that static electricity or other similar interactions allow them to adhere to the hair strands as well as the scalp. HBS treatment can result in a very convincing appearance of thickened hair as well as a reduction in the obviousness of balding regions. In addition, it is possible to use hair sprays or other similar compositions to increase the adherence of the fibers to the hair strands and scalp.
The most apparent difficulty with the HBS approach is the process of applying the material to the scalp. The usual means of application is to sprinkle the material over the regions in need of treatment. However, it may be difficult for the user to evenly sprinkle the material in the proper areas. At least one inventor has attempted to solve this difficulty by developing a device to spray the material into position. U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,781 to Ukaji et al. shows a spraying device which uses a source of propellant (e.g., pressurized gas) to deliver a stream of HBS by directing the gas stream over the surface of a container filled with the material. The gas stream picks up fibers and propels them out a nozzle (see FIG. 1b of that patent). Some attempt is made to avoid the narrow stream effect by providing an expanded nozzle (see FIG. 2 of that patent). The invention also envisions the simultaneous application of hair spray or other adhesive with the colored fibers (see FIG. 3 of that patent).
This approach of the Ukaji et al. invention is hampered by the requirement for a more or less bulky can of propellant. Because the applicator is designed to suspend the fibers within the propellant stream by blowing the stream over the surface of a mass of fibers, a fairly intense propellant stream is needed to ensure adequate suspension of the fibers. This in turn results in a relatively high velocity stream that may impair the naturalistic settling of fibers into position on the hair and scalp. Further, the simultaneous application of adhesive and fibers may cause the fibers to clump together in an unaesthetic manner. Clearly, there is a continued need for an improved applicator to facilitate the use of HBS for the cosmetic treatment of hair loss